KU to commemorate opening of Earth, Energy & Environment Center buildings

by Slawson Companies on 5.1.18

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas invites the public to celebrate the formal dedication of two new buildings on campus, Ritchie and Slawson halls, which together make up the Earth, Energy & Environment Center, located along Naismith Drive between 15th Street and Crescent Road.

The university will host a dedication ceremony at 10 a.m. April 25 in Beren Auditorium in Slawson Hall.

The ceremony will feature remarks from Chancellor Douglas A. Girod; Robert Goldstein, provost’s special adviser for campus development; Dale Seuferling, president of KU Endowment, and Bryan Rodriguez-Colon, a graduate student in geology. The Slawson and Ritchie families, whose private gifts funded a significant portion of the project, will unveil bronze dedication plaques; then both buildings will be open for a reception and self-guided tours.

“The University of Kansas aspires to make discoveries that change the world — and the Earth, Energy & Environment Center positions KU researchers to do exactly that in areas related to energy, natural resources and the environment,” Girod said. “Thanks to these new facilities, the university will continue to be at the forefront of efforts to address challenges and create opportunities that shape our society for years to come.”

The Earth, Energy & Environment Center creates a new collaboration space for student and faculty researchers in geology, geophysics and petroleum engineering. The project was led by Goldstein, Haas Distinguished Professor of Geology, as a partnership between the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and the School of Engineering.

“The opening of Slawson and Ritchie halls begins a transformative development for our campus with a new philosophy of integration to make a difference in the world,” Goldstein said. “Already, energy and environmental disciplines are collaborating, the sciences and engineering faculty and staff are partnering, students are engaged in learning in new ways, and the outside world is being brought in to our campus. This would not have been possible without the dedication of the donors and university leaders who made this possible. I am so grateful for their generosity.”